Lifesaver vest



R. J. BOYLE LIFESAVER VEST Dec. 16, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed March 11, 1950 INVENTOR.

F. L Y o B, d T R E B 0 R ATTORNEY' Dec. 16, 1952 R, 1 BOYLE y l2,621,342

`LIFESVER VEST Filed March l1 1950 2` SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNl'rEo STATES PATENTOFF 2,621,342 ICE LIFEsAvEn VEST Robert J. Boyle, Teaneck, N. j., aSSignorto Cruisers Company, a corporation of New J ersey' Y imputation March 11, 195o,- ser'iai No. 149,135

.the matter, and reliance upon printed instruction is not dependable because, even if there is light for reading them, they are likely to be not quickly grasped or to be confused by an excited perso-n, especially when, as is usual practice, Vthey are printed in three diierent languages.

The chief objects of my invention are to provide a life vest, with suitable fastening means, which can be put on either side foremost without substantially changing operations necessary for securing it upon the wearer; to provide avest having fastening means the proper manipulation of which will be obvious to the wearer regardless of which side of the vest is foremost' as he puts it on; to provide, in conjunction with these advantages, a vest and fastening means so constructed and arranged that-they will maintain the vbody of the person. in a proper attitude, with his head out of the water, even though he becomes unconscious; and to provide an assembly suitable for convenient use by women. as well as men, in not requiring leg straps.l

Oi the. accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation, with parts broken away, of a vest embodying my invention in its preferred form, in ilat, uniniiated condition.-

Fig. 2 is a perspectivel View of the same with the: wearer standing position and the vest inflated.

Fig, 3 is a side elevation of the same showing the attitude that the wearer assumes in the water.

Fig. 4 is a section of a seam portion of the vest.

Referring to the drawings, the assembly comprises a pair of yoke-shaped cells t0,- II ofv airimpervious fabric, preferably made up in the il-at from sheets of rubberized nylon fabric whichare given closed-cell form by seeming around their margins, as at Ia and I Ia.

These eens permissimy are of the same size`V in ation, carries upon its outer face nearest the e oiai'ms. (c1. 9-17) ting zo e dungen cell I l a mouth-inflation tube Il)h and a carbondioxide ination device Y I 0c.

a Upon ination each' cell of course bulges outv in its yoke-shaped medial zone, all of the margins of each' cell-thus being spread away from the corresponding margins of the other cell, except where the marginsof the two cells are permanently secured together, at I2 and I3.

To permit such spreading apart of the margins upon inflation, and at the Isame time hold the' two cells in orderly arrangement when they are in lat, unihated condition, the margins that are to spread apart` are provided with automatically releasing fastener' means, such as the snap-fasteners I4, I4, adapted to separate under the fore of the inflation pressure.

The shape of the cells in the natie such that they nt closely around the iront of the neck. under the jaws, of the wearer,` and upon inflation the bulging of the two cells at that position causes vthem to iit firmly in the bays between. the head,

including the-jaws, and the shoulders and neck of the wearer, and thus keep his. face lifted, even though he becomes unconscious.- At the same time the lifting of the upper cell', I0, and especially its leg portions, gives a proper center of buoyancy-in relation to the center' of gravity, for maintaining the wearer in the position, in the water, of leaning backwardv about 15 to 20 from vertical posit-ion, so as t0 give the -fao'e ofthe wearer the highest possi-ble elevation and topi-ovide the wearer with the maximum visibility and mobility, as for locating and boarding a-lifeA raft.

Thev cell assembly as described is,- in the Hat,

symmetrical with respect to a middle vertical plane between the twoV cells, and with respect to a middle vertical line in that plane, so tirait'` the behavior of the cells upon inflation is' the"v saine regardless of which side o-f the vestI is' foremost as the" wearer puts it on y Y The fastening means, having like advantage, comprises a back piece I5v having its upper fend portion freely extending inward between the two cells and anchoredto the inner' margins only of the two cells where they are permanentlyfs'ecur'e'd to each other, at I2, at the back of! the' rie'oli of this wearer,- so that its action is the saine whichever one of the cells it hast-Inder itin use,- the other cell being free tofrisev without restriction and suitably snug itself about the` neck of the wearer.

secured: to' and extendmg horizontally each I=5 is a. ivaist strapofwhich the respective reaches are designated I6 and Il in the dawings.- .Preteraibly; the back piece I5 i-s of suchv width'thatthe reaches of the waist strap have their junction with it at positions that can be easily reached by the wearer.- v Y Y r Adjustably mounts fupon-leacl1 of these reaches 1s a spring-tongue .buckle I8 having atail ,loop is, to Winches secured ty a suitable reacn or web- These D-rings are adapted to be engaged with respective harness snaps 22 which are mounted upon and extend horizontally from the lower end of the seam webbing I3, which extends downward, at I3, a considerable distance beyond the lower ends of the cells.

To facilitate the tightening of the two reaches I6, I'I of the waist strap after snaps 22, 22 have -been engaged in the rings 2I, 2|, each of the reaches has on its end a hand-grip enlargement 23, Figs. 1 and 2.

The tongue of each of the buckles I8, formed with teeth and backed by a spring, holds the reaches of the waist strap in whatever condition of tautness is given them by simply pulling their hand-grip ends away from their anchorage snaps 22.

As the anchorage snaps 22 are always at the middle plane, fore-and-aft, of the assembly, where the two cell margins are permanently joined, their action and that of the waist-strap reaches are the same regardless of which side of the vest is foremost as the wearer puts it on, and the leg portions of the cells are free to rise, to the limit determined by the extension reach of the seam webbing I3, for -full inflation of the cells and for proper positioning of the center of buoyancy. The legs of the cells being permanently joined at their inner margins of their lower or forward parts, the danger is avoided of their not being properly drawn together by tie members as in earlier vests. Such earlier vests are usually tied in the front and it is left to the inexperienced wearer to allow either long or short reaches. Other types of vests have no positive means whatsoever for drawing the inflation elements together in the front and in both of these conditions the legs of the inflation elements may take a position at the sides of the body which permits the user to fall face forward in a position from which it is very difficult for him to right himself, if, in fact, he does not drown. Attaching the four legs of the inflation elements together in close relationship and with a spacing means such as the extension I3a of the seam webbing I3, thus permitting the lower or forward ends to drift out away from the body when inflated, assures a position of the center of buoyancy out in front of the wearer so that it is impossible for him to get in a wrong attitude in the water.

The material of the cells preferably is nylon fabric, 24, Fig. 4, faced with rubber 25 and joined in a cemented seam as shown clearly inFig. 4, the-seam being reinforced by a folded strip of tape 2B having a rubber facing 21.

Each face ofthe .back piece I5 is well adapted to have indicia such as printed instructions, I5a placed upon it.-

The mode of operation is believed to have been adequately described in conjunction with ythe description of structure.

As the wearer can not anchor the belt-strap rings 2l to each other, he may be reasonably expected to locate the snaps and connect the rings to them respectively. Two snaps, each offcenter, are provided rather than a single snap, to avoid the likelihood of strain being imposed upon the spring tongue of the snap, which might occur if both rings were engaged with a single snap.

The type of harness makes one size vest t all sizes of persons from a child to the largest person. The flotation, the comfort. the floating attitude, the self righting movement are equally correct no matter what size person is wearing 4 it. In the case of children each reach of the waist strap can be given a turn about the upper part of the childs thigh before engaging the ring 2| with the snap 22.

Modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

`I claim:

l. A life-saver vest comprising a -pair of superposed, yoke-shaped, inflatable, exible cells adapted to surround and project forward and downward from the neck of the wearer, the two cells being permanently joined to each other at their inner margins at the back-of-the-neclr position and at their inner margins in the lower parts of their leg portions, the two pairs of leg portions also being joined together at that position, a back piece having its upper end portion extending inward between the cells and joined to their joined inner margins at the back-of-theneck position, said piece being adapted to extend down the back of the wearer, belt straps extending in opposite directions from the lower end of the back piece, and means for detachably connecting the forward portions of the belt straps to the permanently joined inner margins of the lower portions of the four leg portions of the cells.

2. A vest as defined in lclaim 1 in which the last said means comprises a tie member secured to and projecting downward from the joined inner margins of the leg portions of `the cells.

3. A vest as defined in claim 1 in which the last said means comprises gripping members slidably mounted on the belt straps, for tightening of the belt straps after connection of the gripping members to the joined margins of the cells.

4. A vest defined in claim l in which the last said means comprises a pair of snaps, secured to the joined leg portions of the cells and respectively oi-center in opposite directions with respect to the middle line of the joined margins of the cells, and comprises rings mounted on the belt straps for detachable engagement by said snaps respectively.

5. A life-saver vest comprising a pair of superposed, yoke-shaped, inflatable, exible, upper and lower cells adapted to surround and project forward and downward from the neck of the wearer and having respective fluid-distensible parts, one upon the other, at the back-of-theneck position, said cells at that position having a-t least portions of their inner margins joined to each other, and a harness member extending inward between the said duid-distensible parts of the upper and lower cells and joined to the said joined portions of their inner margins at the said position. Y

6. A vest as dened in claim 1 in which the back piece is of such substantial width that its junctions with the belt straps are at substantial distances from the vertical .middle line of the wearers back.

ROBERT J. BOYLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATS PATENTS 

